Half and Half
by Master Wild Mage
Summary: Naraku has been defeated! Now what to do with the jewel. Somthing goes terribly wrong. Now what will they do
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer* I do not own any of the Inu Yasha characters so please don't sue me.   
  
Another thing: The first part of this story was not written by me. I got it off a web site that after I tried to go back to it I couldn't so I wrote my own ending to the story. A friend of mine liked it so I figured I woul try and get ahold of the writer but couldn't. The first nine chapters are written by Naoko Cat Girl. So here you go read away.  
  
Half and Half   
  
Inuyasha's heart pounded as he rolled the pink glass ball in his hands. He had a decision to make, and it was not an easy one. He was a half breed, an outcast on both species of his family tree, but now was his chance to... fit in. He could change things... not to be a half of a person, as he felt he was now, but to be _whole_. To not have his two parts constantly fight over each other, to be at peace with himself. The idea of it seemed heaven itself. And yet, he had almost grown comfortable with his half-ness. He found that he usually got the better end of both parts in this way. The healing powers and extreme strength of a youkai, and the emotions and love of a human. The question was which was more important to him? In the past he had hated his human heart, thought of it as his "weakness," but now he found that indeed it was one of his strengths. Humans live shorter lives than youkai, and are determined to stuff in as much fullness into their short lives as is spread out in the centuries that youkai live. He had realized that his strength in character, his determination, courage, and loyalty came from his human heart. He mentally notched up a point for his human half. And yet, the youkai part of him had an allure. He had dreamed of turning youkai for years, to take revenge on his brother, to become stronger, to show the youkai off who had teased him for years, to be like his father. He took pride in being part youkai. He was stronger, faster, and more deadly than a mere human, and more capable of protecting himself... and Kagome. Kagome. The name alone made his heart beat faster, and a pleasant fuzzy warmth to steal over his mind, much like being drunk. Yes, admit it or not, Kagome was the deciding factor. She was the one who had given him the jewel when their quest was complete, to 'do with as he felt best.' He had wondered whether she understood the freedom of choice she offered, but the look in her eyes told him she did. She would accept either choice, she silently spoke without a voice, a mental transmission that Inuyasha could amazingly understand as easily as if she had actually said it. He marveled at this, wondering if her miko powers were improving, or the bond between them was just growing closer. Whichever it was, he knew she would still love him either way. But could he love himself? Would he be able to forgive himself if he made the wrong choice? Suppose he turned human, but he could no longer protect Kagome from attacking youkai. He realized that in that case, with her miko power, she would be more capable of protecting him than he would her. His pride quailed at the thought. And suppose she was killed? Suppose she was unable to protect herself, and poor defenseless human Inuyasha couldn't do anything? Would not her death haunt him, pointing a mocking finger in his face, laughing at him, squealing about that stupid half breed Inuyasha, he couldn't do anything right, couldn't even protect his mate. No, he couldn't allow that to happen. But then, the only other choice was youkai. A shudder ran down his back at the thought of what happened when his youkai blood took over. He became a mindless puppet of bloodlust, a destruction machine with no regard to human life. Part of his mind screamed that it wouldn't be like that if he turned full demon, but what if it did? Was he willing to take that chance? Then there was always a third choice. He could do nothing, he could stay a hanyou forever. He wouldn't mind it, things had gone well so far. After all, Kagome had fallen in love with him as a hanyou, had she not? He almost decided on that, had not another thought come into mind. The jewel. If he neither turned human or youkai, the jewel would remain existing. Kagome would stay priestess of the jewel, and be forced to guard it, youkai constantly attacking her to get it. Inuyasha would always be there to help, of course, but what would they do as they grew older? They were both in top shape right now, but would they be able to guard off demons when they were in their forties? Fifties? And he had seen what a lifetime of guarding the jewel had done to Kikyo. She had become bitter and hard. Inuyasha had told the truth when he told Kagome he loved her for her, not for being Kikyo's reincarnation. He didn't want pure, sweet Kagome to become bitter and twisted with a hard life fighting off youkai consistantly. What would they do if another Naraku came into being? They had barely beaten the baboon skin clad evil, though the proximity of death had finally made them realize their feeling for each other. What if there was another powerful youkai after the Shikon no Tama? Would they be able to handle it? He sighed. Now he was back at the beginning, three choices, and frankly, none of them seemed very good to him. Power, emotion, or a destructive middle ground. This decision was too serious to be made quickly. *** Kagome sat in the remains Kaede's hut. Only it wasn't Kaede's anymore, not since the woman had died bythe claws of minions of Naraku, who had attacked the village whilst Inuyasha and Kagome were traveling in search of shards. That kind of attack appealed to Naraku, it had worked before with Sango- destroy the ones close to your enemy, and then attack while they grieve. Kaede had led the villagers in a brave defense, and it was probably all because of her that any of the village was still standing. In fact, most of it had gone unscathed. Only Kaede and a few others had actually died. Kagome tried to shake herself from her gloomy thoughts. Yes, she missed Kaede and resented that she was gone when they still needed her help, but she also knew her older friend and teacher had died as honorable a death as she could, and had saved many lives. Her soul was at rest, and that was some small comfort to Kagome. But she still wished Kaede had been able to teach her more about being a priestess, now that she was going to stay with Inuyasha more she had a feeling she would need to know. She would only go back to her time for an occasional visit to her family, because her heart belonged with a dog boy in the Sengoku Jidai. "Tests be damned." she muttered with a slight grin. She had been failing school anyways. Who needed to know Algebra in the 1600's? Certainly not her. She heard footsteps approaching the outside of the hut. She prepared herself for Sango or Miroku to enter, so she was surprised when the door opened to reveal red robes and white hair. "Inuyasha," she whispered. Her heart thudded hard. She told it to slow down, she had been awaiting this moment for the past two days. Inuyasha had left off by himself to contemplate the use of the jewel. His return could only mean one thing. He had decided. She looked up to him, and his golden eyes touched upon her for a moment before they quickly turned away. Despair rose in her heart as he refused to meet her gaze. She nodded resolutely, and took a deep breath as if taking a huge burden upon herself. "So you decide to do that." He looked up in surprise. How had she known? Maybe it was like the almost telepathic message he had received earlier, they didn't really need words. "Yes." he muttered in a rasp voice, pushing doubt back a final time. He had decided and was going to go through with it, no matter what the consequences. Kagome fought back tears as a major turn in her life had just appeared before her eyes. She said a silent farewell to the Kagome she had been the past year, the school girl doubling as a shard detector, with a major crush on a hanyou from another time. After all, it wouldn't be too different, Inuyasha would still be the same person inside, wouldn't he? She sat up and put on a firmly cheery grin. "Well, then lets get this done with, shall we?" she said in a cheery voice to match the grin. She wished again that Kaede were here to oversee the casting of the spell. Inuyasha sighed in relief. So it was okay with her. He was afraid she would be unhappy, that she wouldn't still love him. He should have known better then to doubt. He handed her the jewel, and she could see that he was relieved she didn't mind. She wanted him to be happy, that's why she had let him decide what to do. She would love him no matter what, she would always love him. She would stay in his time if that would make him happy. Before she had known his true feelings, she had been willing to let him be with Kikyo if that was who he loved. Now she was glad her willingness to sacrifice her happiness for his had not pushed her so far. She absently rolled the pink jewel the size of a large marble in her hand, chewing her lip in thoughtfulness. "I think we should try simply saying what we want the jewel to do." she said after thinking things through. "Kaede said once that the desire is what really forms a spell, and the words are just to provide a background. So as long as we mean what we say, it should work." He nodded. He knew next to nothing about magic, but it seemed logical. "Perhaps we should say it together, it might add more power to the spell." Again Inuyasha nodded, and he placed his hand over hers and the jewel. She looked up, and saw for perhaps the first time ever, fear in Inuyasha's eyes. She suddenly became afraid too. What if the spell didn't work? And what would happen to him if it did? How would things change? She mentally shoved away those thoughts. Whatever happened, happened. "Alright, at the count of ten we'll say it." The pounding of her heart defeaned her, and her hands shook ever so slightly. "One...two...three.." She absently noticed that his hands were shaking themselves. Her voice was weak, but grew stronger with resolve. "...seven...eight...nine......ten." They simultaneously took deep breaths, and began chanting the most fateful words they would ever say; "Make Inuyasha a-" "Make me a-" "-youkai." "-human." Their eyes widened in horror when they realized what they had just done, but a cloud of pink smoke materialized around them, and it was too late. *** Kagome coughed on the sweet smelling smoke that's odor was growing ever more pungent. The sharp smell seemed to even further sharpen her other senses. She felt strange and dizzy headed all of a sudden, yet strangely stronger and more stable then she had ever been before. Odd sensations went through her body at an alarming rate. She could only stand in stupor and wonder what in the seven hells was going on. The smoke reluctantly cleared, and she could hear the coughing and sneezing of Inuyasha, oddly loud in her ears. Something was strange about her ears. She could finally make out the outline of Inuyasha standing before her, and gasped. He hadn't changed! He was still the same, white hair, claws and all. Then what just happened? He drew closer, and he could hear him gasp as well, again, it seemed strangely loud. She could see his face now, and the look of utter astonishment on it. She wondered if she looked as surprised as him at this turn of events, but wait... His surprised look was directed at her! What was wrong with him? And where had the jewel gone? She looked in her hand. It wasn't there. But if the spell hadn't done anything.... She absently noticed her nails looked funny. 'This is no time to be admiring your nails', she reprimended hersel . But she hadn't remembered them being this long, she noted, turning them over to get a better gaze. Or so sharp.... "Ka- Kagome?" Inuyasha finally managed to rasp out. By now the smoke had completely cleared, and left nothing behind but slight sparkles in the air like the last of a handful of thrown confetti catching the light. Her ears swiveled towards the sound of Inuyasha's voice and her gaze followed. Wait- her ears... swiveled? She glanced back down at her nails, and then hesitatingly brought her hands up to her head. Yes, there they were, her ears. "Kagome.. You're... a.." "Hanyou." she said in a whisper. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer* I don't own Inu Yasha or any of the other characters. This is the part that was written by Naoko Cat Cat Girl not me. I'm slowly getting to the part I wrote.  
  
Inuyasha barely managed to catch the plummiting Kagome before she crumpled to   
  
the ground in her dead faint. He held her in his arms, and looked for a place to   
  
set her down. He was surprised at how calm he really was, considering his best   
  
friend and true love had just changed species. Maybe it was just shock. Or   
  
perhaps he was so used to strange things constantly happening around him that it   
  
wasn't all that much a surprise. Or perhaps, he was a bit... relieved.  
  
He blinked. Relieved? How so? He thought hard upon it. Kagome was turned into a   
  
hanyou, meaning the Shikon no Tama was used. The Shikon no Tama was used, so   
  
that meant he couldn't change himself. Ahh, that was it. So he was relieved that   
  
he could stay the way he was. He felt a bit guilty that he felt relieved that   
  
Kagome changed so he didn't have to. After all, it really was his fault this all   
  
happened, wasn't it. He should have told Kagome straight out his choice. But he   
  
had still been slightly unsure of himself, and it was easier to assume she   
  
understood then to say it out loud, and make it so.. permanent. He shook his   
  
head. How had he been so cowardly?  
  
He laid Kagome down on a bed of soft blankets and sat near her. He had been   
  
afraid still to choose, so his indecision had caused this mess, with Kagome   
  
being the victim of his own cowardice. He hung his head in shame. Would she   
  
forgive him? How would they adjust? Suddenly the seriousness of the change   
  
crashed down upon Inuyasha. Everything would be different- she would have to   
  
learn how to control her youkai blood, find out when her human day was, learn   
  
how to adjust to the heightened senses and the superior strength.... the list   
  
went on. Inuyasha's heads reeled at the prospect. She was going to have to   
  
relearn a great deal of things as well, her sense of balance would be off, and   
  
anatomically, her whole body was different. Inuyasha knew how long it took for   
  
him to get used to his once a month human body when he was young, but this would   
  
be a great deal harder for Kagome. At least with him, things had reverted back   
  
to normal after the night was over. But for Kagome, except for one day a month,   
  
things would never be normal again.  
  
A thought suddenly hit his mind. How would her family react? What would they   
  
tell them? Would they be angry? Would they try to keep her from Inuyasha? After   
  
all, it was his fault. Would they disown her for being a half breed? Inuyasha   
  
didn't know Kagome's family very well, but he knew how his mother had been   
  
humiliated and shunned by her own family for falling in love and bearing the   
  
child of a youkai. So many humans had rejected him... would the same happen to   
  
Kagome?  
  
His eyes narrowed at the thought. Just let them try to make fun of Kagome, and   
  
he'd rip them to shreds. If Kagome's family wouldn't accept her, Inuyasha would,   
  
even though he wasn't sure if she still wanted him around. He vowed then and   
  
there that he would take care of Kagome, even if she hated him, he would be   
  
there to protect her as she grew accustomed to her change. It was his fault, and   
  
he was going to take responsibility for his actions for once.  
  
***  
  
Kagome's eyes fluttered open. Where was she? And why was she lying on the floor?   
  
She looked up and saw Inuyasha's concerned face above her. She suddenly   
  
remembered what happened, and the world swung around, threatening to turn black   
  
again. She fought off the darkness, and slowly sat up. She looked down at her   
  
hands again, and sighed, her last hope that it had been a dream vanished. She   
  
wobbily tried to stand up, and Inuyasha quickly rushed over to help. She awarded   
  
him with a brief smile, and tried to get her balance. She felt strange. Her body   
  
felt different, like all the bones and organs had shifted, leaving her feeling   
  
disoriented and out of balance. She finally straightened herself out, but   
  
Inuyasha still hovered nearby, like she was a china doll he was afraid would   
  
break. She felt a little flattered that he would pay so much attention to her,   
  
but it was a little annoying. She tried walking a few steps. She was beginning   
  
to get the hang of it, she thought to herself, seconds before her knees buckled   
  
out. Inuyasha caught her, and she waved him away. She wouldn't be carried like a   
  
child. Hesitatingly, she made her way over to a corner of the hut. She sat down,   
  
and reached into her pack that was there, and pulled out a mirror in triumph.   
  
She held it up to her face, half curious and half frightened at what she would   
  
see.  
  
The first thing she noticed was that her hair was still black. Somehow she felt   
  
immensely comforted. Her hair had been a matter of pride to her, she loved the   
  
black lustrous locks. She then saw the two puppy ears poking out. They were the   
  
same as Inuyasha's only more slender and they were black like her hair. The   
  
pupils of her eyes were demonically slanted, but the chocolate brown of her eye   
  
color had melded with the amber color of Inuyasha's eyes to create a golden   
  
brown somewhere in between the two colors. She flashed a smile and admired her   
  
fangs, she had always found Inuyasha's rather cute. The last touch on her now   
  
hanyou face was two skinny faint blue lines on either cheekbone. She thought   
  
that they made her look more exotic and interesting. She smiled in the mirror   
  
again. If she was going to be a half demon, at least she was a pretty one. She   
  
absently raised her hand to push her hair behind her ear, a nervous habit of   
  
hers, but her ear was no longer there. She sighed. That would be bugging her for   
  
weeks, until she found a new nervous habit. Hopefully not biting her nails, she   
  
thought with a glance to her razor sharp claws. All in all, it wasn't too bad,   
  
she supposed. She glanced up at Inuyasha, who was staring at her with a guilty,   
  
nervous look, much like a puppy who had been bad and was waiting to be punished.   
  
She almost giggled. She'd have to stop with these dog referenced jokes, after   
  
all, she wasn't one to talk anymore.  
  
"What's wrong Inuyasha?" she asked sweetly. He looked shocked at the grin on her   
  
face.  
  
"Are- are you okay with it? I mean, with being a hanyou?" he asked, surprised.  
  
"Might be fun." Kagome grinned. She had always tried to look on the bright side   
  
of things, and this was no exception. Inuyasha just stared at her like she was   
  
possessed.  
  
"And now, I'll be just as strong as all of you guys!" she said, her smile   
  
brightening even further. Being the weakest one in the group had always bugged   
  
Kagome. Well, now she was stronger than Sango or Miroku, and with her miko   
  
powers, she might even surpass Inuyasha one day! That is, if she still possessed   
  
her miko powers. She would try to puzzle it out later, along with how the spell   
  
had gone the way it did.  
  
Inuyasha just stared at the cheerful dog-girl. Yes, she was definitely dog   
  
hanyou, his nose told him so. He was glad, for youkai to marry a youkai of a   
  
different race was rare and usually didn't work out. Not that they were getting   
  
married anytime soon. Inuyasha, though he knew he loved Kagome, wasn't wanting   
  
to make such a big commitment right then. And Kagome had agreed, saying she was   
  
too young anyways. Another thing popped into his mind. Now that Kagome was a   
  
hanyou, they would age at the same rate. Another problem solved, as he would   
  
have still been young long after Kagome grew old if she had stayed human and he   
  
hanyou. He was beginning to like the idea of Kagome being a hanyou, now that he   
  
thought about it, because now she would truly understand him. He smiled back at   
  
Kagome. Maybe she was right, maybe things really weren't so bad after all.  
  
Reveiwers*  
  
animemaster2~ Like I say in the disclaimer I didn't write the first nine chapters to the story and I also thought it left a little to be desired that is why I wrote my own ending to it  
  
_________________________________  
  
Keep r/r 


	3. chapter 3

The sun set in a brilliant burst of dazzling color, as pink and purple clouds   
  
hovered above it. Sango watched the firery spectacle until it disappeared behind   
  
the curtain of the horizon, to put on it's show again the next day. She hugged   
  
her knees and absently stroked Kiarara as she mulled over thoughts in her head.   
  
The air began to grow cool, and the first winking star came out, but she loathed   
  
the thought of going anywhere. The quest was over, Naraku dead, her family   
  
avenged, and she was left alone. She didn't want to return to her camp, because   
  
the absence of other humans would only further depress her. She could always   
  
return to the former Lady Kaede's house, but Kagome and Inuyasha would be there.   
  
Last time she went, Kagome had greeted her warmly, but the brown eyes of her   
  
gentle friend had been filled with sadness, worry and longing, and Sango knew   
  
she was thinking about Inuyasha. Her visit had been brief, and she felt no   
  
desire to return, even though Kagome was her dearest friend. It was just a   
  
futher twist to the knife of loneliness piercing her heart to be around someone   
  
who was deeply in love. Love. Sango took a deep breath of the sweet smelling   
  
air. She wondered if she would ever find out what it would be like to be in   
  
love. Or was it, as she was bitterly beginning to believe, her destiny to always   
  
be alone? She had wondered if Miroku... but no. Who could expect that pervert to   
  
know anything about love? She sighed yet again and picked up Kiarara, and picked   
  
her way to her camp in the nearby woods.  
  
She arrived at her camp, and found it not as deserted as she had supposed.  
  
"Houshi?" she asked in surprise at the sight of Miroku sitting in front of her   
  
fire.  
  
"Ah, Sango." he nodded to her. "I was hoping you would not be too long. How have   
  
you been these past two days?" he conversed pleasantly.  
  
"I've been well, I suppose." she said, still unsure of how to react. Her heart   
  
was pounding so hard she could feel it in her toes. She mentally screamed at it   
  
to stop, it was just Miroku.  
  
"What brings you here?"  
  
"Always straight to the point, Sango. You're a very no-nonsense type person." he   
  
observed. She looked at him, undecided at wether he was teasing her or   
  
complimenting her in some way.  
  
"The truth is, I was near here anyways when I felt a very strong magic coming   
  
from the general direction of the village, most likely meaning that some major   
  
spell had just been cast."  
  
Sango puzzled over what significance this would have. She suddenly gasped when   
  
it mentally clicked.  
  
"Inuyasha! He must of made his decision!" she realized. He grinned.  
  
"Well, shall we go and see what the results were?" he stood up and brushed off   
  
his robes with his now kazaana free hands. The lack of the rosary reminded Sango   
  
of the gigantic battle, the origions of which went back for decades, that they   
  
had just ended, and that she wasn't the only one whose family had been wiped out   
  
by the enemy. Miroku was probably as much alone as she. She knew none of his   
  
family was alive, and he didn't have anyone to turn to either. She wondered why   
  
she had never thought about how tragic his life really had been. She had spent   
  
so much time being nearsighted by her own misery, she had forgotten that she   
  
wasn't the only one with troubles. Really, being faced with the possibility of   
  
your death every day of your life, without being able to do anything about it   
  
must have been hard.  
  
"How did he bear it?" she wondered.  
  
He followed her gaze to his hand, and she realized she had said it aloud. It   
  
came from talking to herself these past couple of days. She blushed, and he   
  
slowly replied  
  
"The only way I could. One day at a time."  
  
He looked back at her, and she could see the sadness in his deep eyes. She   
  
nodded in understanding. She had dealt with her sorrows much the same way,   
  
focusing on getting through one day, ignoring the lonliness and pain that surely   
  
awaited her tomorrow.  
  
Her thoughts were starting to get a little too depressing, so she attempted to   
  
cheer herself up. After all, no use living in the past, is there?  
  
"Well, let's go then!" she said, plastic smile in place. Miroku smiled back half   
  
heartedly, and they began their trek to the village in a somber, but   
  
understanding silence. Sango walked beside Miroku, thankful that he had showed   
  
up and pulled her out of her pity party. It was good for her to see that there   
  
were other suffering people in the world, to act as a reminder that all she   
  
could do was pick up the pieces of her life and move on.  
  
Miroku's hand slid toward Sango, froze a moment, then wrapped around her ...   
  
hand. Such a simple gesture that was so unlike Miroku that it surprised and   
  
moved her. She drew closer to him and gave a gentle squeeze to his hand.  
  
Kiarara trailed behind and watched her master and friend. Had Sango been able to   
  
speak cat, Kiarara would have had an earful to give her. She really should be   
  
getting out more often to see her friends; spending so much time alone was not   
  
good for her health. And it was about time she finally making some progress with   
  
Miroku. Couldn't she see that he loved her? And that she loved him back? Stupid   
  
humans with their tendency to miss the obvious. They must have lost their sense   
  
of this just like they had lost most of their other senses. If only they would   
  
listen to their wiser, more experienced animal companions. Of course, Sango   
  
could not understand cat speech, so this wisdom was lost to her.  
  
***  
  
Kagome was fascinated by her newly heightened senses. Her hearing and sense of   
  
smell were so much stronger, it was like they were completely different senses   
  
than those she had grown up with. She could hear the wind in the grass outside,   
  
a bird that could have been a quarter of a mile away, Inuyasha breathing, a   
  
conversation between two villagers about crops, and loudest of all in her ears,   
  
her own heartbeat. She was already beginning to distinguish smells from one   
  
another. Of course, she was still very unexperienced, and could not identify   
  
most of these smells, but it didn't keep her from trying. The first smell she   
  
tried to identify was Inuyasha. He had made so many comments about her smell,   
  
whether good or bad, it made her curious to see what his scent was like. She had   
  
told him this, and he just laughed at her eagerness to learn everything at once.  
  
"It takes a pup time to learn, Kagome. What is that saying you use? Something   
  
about rope not being made in a day?"  
  
Kagome laughed.  
  
"It's 'Rome wasn't built in a day,' Inuyasha." she said in between giggles.   
  
"Ancient Rome was a famous city with huge buildings and statues that the only   
  
the ruins of remain. It took years and years to build Rome." she briefly   
  
summarized the history lesson.  
  
He grinned.  
  
"Well, Rome or rope or your sense of smell, it takes time to build these   
  
things." Noting her crestfallen face, he added, "But we can go out tomorrow and   
  
I can help teach you." She smiled, and gave him a hug. He was still a little   
  
unused to physical contact with her, but it felt nice.  
  
"Okay, tomorrow." she murmured, her face buried in his robes. She inhaled   
  
deeply, trying to catch his scent. It was a hard smell to place, she realized.   
  
She couldn't compare it to anything. It was a masculine smell, but pleasant,   
  
almost kind of woodsy smelling. She found she liked it a great deal.  
  
***  
  
Miroku stopped short before they reached the hut. He shushed Sango's question.  
  
"Do you feel that?" he whispered.  
  
Sango was silent for a moment.  
  
"Youki." she whispered.  
  
"There's Inuyasha's youki, but there's another. I can't seem to place it, but it   
  
feels slightly familiar. I can sense Kagome's miko powers too, but they seem   
  
fainter than usual for some reason." he wondered aloud.  
  
"So there's someone else in there." A demon someone else.  
  
"Yes, but if Kagome and Inuyasha were in any trouble, we'd know by now."  
  
"Let's be careful, just in case."  
  
Miroku nodded and they approached the hut. Sango quietly opened the door, and   
  
they rushed inside, prepared for just about anything. Except the sight that   
  
greeted them.  
  
Inuyasha was locked in an embrace with someone, this someone whose youki they   
  
had sensed before. A hanyou, by the look of the ears. They stood in shock,   
  
wondering how Inuyasha dared be such a two timer so openly. And Kagome was   
  
nearby too! What was going on?  
  
Inuyasha and the other hanyou quickly seperated at the sight of the exterminator   
  
and priest, and the female hanyou was revealed to be an attractive dog half   
  
breed with black hair and ears.  
  
"Hi guys," she said sheepishly, unsure of how their reaction would be.  
  
Miroku's jaw dropped, and all he could say was "Kagome?!!"  
  
Sango, however, used a very Inuyasha-esque line.  
  
"What in the seven hells happened to you?" 


	4. Chapter 4

It took considerable time and effort to calm down Miroku and Sango enough to convince them that Kagome was alright. They had first asked her who and where was the demon who did this to her, and where was the Shikon no Tama, and demanded to know what had happened, why they hadn't come and gotten help.  
  
They both had mentally beat themselves up for leaving the couple to go off on their own, making Kagome vulnerable to such a thing, then asked Inuyasha where he had been and why hadn't he protected Kagome. Kagome sighed in exasperation as the steady stream of questions came from the pair. Inuyasha fumblingly tried to explain, then got all defensive when they accused him of not taking care of Kagome. When he started protesting their accusations in too loud of a voice, and they had repeated them in even louder voices, Kagome feared it would turn into a fight if she didn't do something.   
  
"ENOUGH." she finally shouted, resorting to her rarely used "scary" voice. Miroku and Sango froze. When the normally sweet and subdued Kagome used that voice, you had better hush up. They guiltily looked to Kagome.   
  
"First of all," she breathed deeply. "It's not Inuyasha's fault that I'm like this, nor was it done by any demon. If anyone was at fault, I'd say it was me."   
  
Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. How could she say that? "It was just as much my fault as yours, Kagome." he said quietly.   
  
Inuyasha, actually taking responsibility for something? Miroku and Sango looked at each other. This, they had to hear. Kagome was also surprised that he had admitted to being at fault in any way. Usually his over inflated ego prevented him from relenting to anything that would make him appear in the wrong. He really was beginning to change. It gave her a warm feeling to think of.   
  
But, she had to get back to explaining things. She summarized the events of that afternoon, a little embarrassed at the stupid way she had acted. Ah, well, it was already over and done with. "Can't change the past." she thought to herself.  
  
"You'll just have to make do with the future." It was something she thought of several times over the next few days. When she was done, Sango and Miroku sat, a little stunned.   
  
Miroku smiled wryly at the tale, and Sango looked in pity towards Kagome. "It's really okay," Kagome protested. "It's not so bad. I'm a lot stronger now, and I like having better senses. And I don't look so much different."  
  
"But how are you going to fit in in your time?" the youkai exterminator asked her friend worridly. Kagome paused.   
  
"Actually," she began slowly. "I had been planning to stay here with Inuyasha. I was only going to go back to my time for occasional visits to my family."   
  
Since she had been alone for the better part of the past two days, she hadn't had the chance to tell anyone of her choice. This was news to all of them. "What about 'tests' and 'school'?"  
  
Inuyasha asked, unbelieving that she would leave her life to be with him. "Well, thanks to some dog demon, I was already failing school," she said coyly, glancing at Inuyasha, "So I guess I'll just be a junior high dropout. Which means-" she added, noticing the looks they gave her at the unfamiliar terminology, "-that I won't be going to school anymore, and I wont have any more tests!" she smiled broadly.   
  
That was her favorite part about staying this era, besides Inuyasha, obviously. Miroku spoke up after her joyful little speech. "Do you know why the spell affected Kagome when it went wrong?" Kagome answered. "You know, I've been wondering about that myself. The best theory I could come up with was that when we... messed up... with the spell, it created two spells that combined. When you combine a youkai and a human, you get a hanyou, correct? So the spell became to make Inuyasha a hanyou. Now, Inuyasha already was a hanyou, so the spell should have just cancelled itself out." she paused.  
  
"But the Shikon no Tama was much too powerful a thing to just dissolve. So, since it couldn't effect Inuyasha in anyway, it just kind of..." "Bounced off, and went to Kagome." Inuyasha finished for her, remembering a peculiar sensation he had had that felt much like some powerful thing being reflected off of him. Kagome nodded.   
  
"Hmmm.. Seems plausible." Miroku thought for a moment. "So the main question is how to get you back to normal." he stated. Kagome looked at him in surprise. Back to normal? She hadn't really thought about changing back. Well, yes she had, the first few minutes while she was still in shock over the change, but now.... Now, she wasn't sure if she liked the idea.   
  
"I don't think there's anything powerful emough." Kagome said. The Shikon no Tama had been the most powerful item she had known about. "Surely there's something we could find." Sango said. "That can be our next quest." Kagome shook her head. "I... don't know if... if I want to change back." she said slowly.   
  
There were several more surprised glances. "I kind of like it." she said quietly.   
  
No one could think of anything to say. "I mean, there's no chance of both me and Inuyasha turning back, and hanyous live much longer lives than humans.... I wouldn't mind so much, but I don't want to grow old and die while Inuyasha is still in the prime of his life."   
  
They all saw the reason in this, but just the idea of Kagome accepting being a hanyou.. was a little foreign to them.   
  
Heck, the idea of Kagome _being_ a hanyou was still strange. Miroku sighed. "Well, I suppose it's up to you. Think it over some, though. Make sure it's what you want." he walked over to the entrence of the hut and stared outside. "It's getting late." he said.   
  
The half moon had already risen and the stars shone down merrily on the dark surface of the earth. "Yes, I suppose I should be getting back. Oh, houshi, you made me rush out in such a hurry I forgot to put out my fire!" Sango scolded, and rushed out to make sure her camp hadn't been burned up by now, with Kiarara trailing at her heels.  
  
Miroku sighed. "Well, I suppose I should go and see if she needs help. I wouldn't want the forest to burn down." he said gloomily, but Kagome could see the silly grin plain on his face as he left. "Those two." she sighed, a smile on her face as well. "When are they ever going to get together?" She felt Inuyasha's arms slip around her waist.   
  
"You know, the same could be said of us two weeks ago." he whispered in her ear. She snuggled up against his chest, enjoying the warmth and love that radiated from him.   
  
Moments like these had been rare, the first week after Naraku's battle was spent mainly grieving and healing, both physically and emotionally, then the past two days had been spent with them separated, Inuyasha making his decision. Now, they finally had the time to just enjoy being together. They didn't speak for some time, just drank in one another's presence. Inuyasha had missed Kagome over the past two days.   
  
He hadn't realized how much his heart had hurt without her until he had returned, and, God, it felt good to have her back. He suddenly noticed a change in her scent, and he looked down at her face.   
  
There were tears in her eyes, streaming down her face. "Kagome? What's wrong?" he asked, worried. She half laughed. "Oh, it's nothing." she said, then saw the worried look on his face. "It's just, well, I hate change. Every time something changes I feel like the person I was died, and I can never go back. I know, it's dumb, but I like the comfort of permanence." she laughed again through her tears. "Oh, I'm just being stupid. I'll be fine in a little while." Inuyasha hugged her tighter.   
  
He never realized how hard things must have been for her, getting whipped away to another time, where there were demons and monsters, and she was a priestess.... he wondered how hard she had cried the first night she had been there.   
  
"I really will be okay in a little while, I wasn't lying when I said I think I'll like being like this. It's just, well, an old Kagome has died, and I have to grieve her a little before I can completely slip into being the new Kagome." she sighed and leaned back against his chest. Her tears dried up before too long, and she looked up at him. "Thanks," she whispered, and on an impulse, reached up and kissed him on the cheek.   
  
"Thanks for not calling me silly or weak," she whispered. He wordlessly hugged her again, and she relaxed in his arms. They sat like that a while, and eventually he could hear her deep breathing, telling him that she was asleep. He carefully carried her to the bed, and sat there, undecided for a moment, before snuggling in next to her.   
  
As he felt the warmth of her body next to his, he felt complete, like before then he had just been a half a person, and had just found the missing half. Ying and Yang, youkai and human, they were two parts of a whole. Half and half. That was them. *** 


	5. Chapter 5

The sun rose in a glorious spectacle of dazzling light and color. Pinks and reds   
  
and yellows all melted into the blue of the sky above, like a beautiful   
  
watercolor done in paints more vibrant than any on this earth. This awesome   
  
scene played out it's everyday role, unnoticed by two snoozing young beings   
  
nestled together in a hut, oblivious to the awakening world around them.  
  
When the soothing waves of sleep finally began to ebb from Kagome, her first   
  
concious thought was at the warmth around her. Usually it was a little chilly in   
  
the mornings, but today she felt incredibly warm and comfortable. She sighed in   
  
contentment, and snuggled further in her bed. She slowly blinked her eyes, and   
  
was a little disappointed that it was already light outside. She was so   
  
comfortable, she just wanted to stay where she was for the rest of the day. She   
  
rolled over, and bumped into something. She blinked, and realized she was face   
  
to chest with Inuyasha.  
  
"Eep!" she said loudly, sitting up. This was not the type of wake up call she   
  
had been expecting. She stared at the dog demon in her bed, then looked down at   
  
herself. Whew, she was still fully clothed. Immediately after that thought, she   
  
felt extremely embarrassed. Of course they hadn't done anything. But why on   
  
earth had Inuyasha been in her bed? Sure, they had become close since the battle   
  
with Naraku, they had admitted that they loved each other, and had hugged and   
  
actually even kissed a few times before, but sleeping in her bed? Since when had   
  
Inuyasha even slept lying down like normal people? Everytime she had seen him   
  
sleep, he was always sitting in a corner, Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. She sat   
  
there marveling at this when Inuyasha awoke.  
  
He blinked slowly, and sleepily grinned at Kagome. "Good morning, fellow   
  
hanyou." he said in a raspy voice, then sat up and stretched like nothing had   
  
happenened. Kagome could only stare.  
  
"Why were you sleeping in my bed?!"she finally managed to sputter out.  
  
"Where else was I supposed to sleep?" he asked innocently. She looked around.   
  
She hated to admit it, but he was right. There wasn't another bed.  
  
"Well..." she trailed off. No use arguing with him.  
  
He stood and picked up his sword lying beside the bed. He placed it in his belt.  
  
"It's not like I did anything to you, wench." he couldn't help adding.  
  
"Sit!" she couldn't help replying.  
  
*Thud*  
  
"Crap. I hoped this thing wouldn't still work" he groaned from the floor as the   
  
rosary's magic took effect.  
  
"I guess I kept some of my miko power." she observed. Inuyasha silently wished   
  
she could have found a less painful way to find that out, but, not being   
  
_completely_ unteachable, he had learned a comment like that would probably just   
  
annoy his female companion into another "sit." So, he stood up, grumbling and   
  
dusting off his clothes, then sat near the bed.  
  
"So what do you plan on doing today?" he asked. The female hanyou looked out   
  
into space thoughtfully.  
  
"Well, you did promise to take me out and teach me how to develop my sense of   
  
smell," she said brightly.  
  
Inuyasha paused. Yes, there was that. But, it seemed to him there was something   
  
more important to be taken care of.  
  
"What about your family?" he asked seriously.  
  
She froze. Yes, her family needed to know about the change. She hadn't talked to   
  
her family since when she and the others had returned from battle. She   
  
remembered her mothers tears of relief that her daughter was safe, then the   
  
tears of sadness when she told her that she was planning on staying with   
  
Inuyasha.  
  
Her mother had cried, knowing she would miss her daughter dearly, but accepted   
  
it out of love and desire for her child's happiness. Kagome recalled her last   
  
conversation with her mother.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
Kagome looked at her mother in surprise. Tears glistened in the older woman's   
  
eyes as she awaited the answer. Kagome looked down to her lap, and fiddled with   
  
the hem of her skirt nervously.  
  
"I... I do love him, mother... and... and he loves me." she said slowly.  
  
Mrs. Higurashi nodded.  
  
"Then... Go.. Go and be happy with him, okay?"  
  
Kagome looked into her eyes, and saw pure love, radiating out towards her.  
  
"Just make sure you visit me, alright? Once a month at the very _least_.   
  
Please?"  
  
Kagome saw the pleading and worry mixed in with the love.  
  
"Yes. Yes, I will. I promise." she whispered hoarsely, and hugged her mother   
  
tight. Tears escaped her tightly squeezed eyes as she embraced her mother.  
  
"And make sure you get properly married before you do anything, okay? And I'm   
  
expecting you to bring my grandchildren to visit often, understand?"  
  
Kagome blushed and laughed at the very motherly advice.  
  
"I'm just fifteen, mom. It's not like we'll be getting married right away."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "I know. You grew up so fast, you know that? Most mothers   
  
at least have until their children are 18 before they have to let them go." She   
  
sighed. "I'll miss you, my little girl. My first and only little girl." Her   
  
voice grew hoarse. "I.. I only wish your father could see you, all grown up, and   
  
in love."  
  
Kagome nodded. They sat together like that for a few minutes, in tears, before a   
  
voice interrupted them.  
  
"Oi, Kagome!"  
  
Kagome looked up at the sound of her name being called outside by a voice so   
  
harsh, and yet so dear. Mrs. Higurashi drew in her breath as she let go of her   
  
daughter.  
  
"Remeber, you have to visit, understand?"  
  
Kagome had nodded, then left to find Inuyasha in the yard.  
  
"Ready to go?" he said, his eyes softening ever so slightly, and she quietly   
  
said "Yes," then hugged him tightly.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Hey, Kagome! Kagome? Are you okay?"  
  
Kagome woke back up to the present.  
  
"Yeah." she said softly.  
  
"Are you sure? You're crying."  
  
She felt her cheek, and was surprised to find it wet with tears.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I am." she said.  
  
Inuyasha wasn't sure how to react. Kagome's tears always had that kind of effect   
  
on him. He was never sure what to do, only that he wanted them to stop, no   
  
matter what. So, he quietly swept her into another hug. She froze at the   
  
unexpected embrace, then relaxed in his arms.  
  
"I'll go with you, if you'd like." he said.  
  
She mutely nodded, her face still buried in his clothes. She absently noticed   
  
that her tears were making them wet, but breathed in his smell, and was   
  
immensely comforted. Her tears dried, and she found resolve that had been buried   
  
in her heart.  
  
"Let's go." she said, smiling.  
  
He was relieved that her tears had stopped, so he agreed and they walked   
  
together to the well.  
  
***  
  
"It's a good thing the well still works." Inuyasha said as they climbed out on   
  
the other side. He held out his hand to her, and she daintily took it and hopped   
  
out. She was too worried to answer him.  
  
"Why am I worried?" she thought to herself. "The worse that could happen is that   
  
Grandpa would try to exorcise me." She smiled at this thought, it wasn't like   
  
her to be nervous like this. She thought it over. No, she wasn't really worried,   
  
it was something else. Homesickness. That was it. She had missed her family.   
  
Desperately. It felt good to be back.  
  
She walked more confidently towards the house. Something in her wondered how it   
  
could seem so unchanged when everything around her had been thrown topsy turvy.   
  
She stepped closer to her door, unsure of what to do. She felt strange, she felt   
  
the impulse to ring the doorbell and let her mother come answer the door, but it   
  
would make her feel like a stranger in her own house.  
  
She opened the door, and she and Inuyasha slipped in. The front room was empty,   
  
but Kagome noticed several extra pairs of shoes next to the door. There was   
  
company!  
  
"Uh, Inuyasha, I think we'd better slip up to my room. There's someone-"  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
Kagome's pupils narrowed.  
  
"Oh crap." she whispered. She knew that voice. 


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome grabbed a confused Inuyasha by the arm and dragged him up the stairs to   
  
her room. She scanned the room, before opening the window.  
  
"Go out onto that tree branch. They won't see you then." she shoved him towards   
  
the window.  
  
"Who won't see me? Huh? What's going on?" Inuyasha asked, very puzzled.  
  
"Just go!" she hissed as she began yanking open drawers in her dresser. Inuyasha   
  
meekly obeyed, and watched as Kagome whipped out a small bottle of some flesh   
  
colored stuff, and began smearing it on her cheeks until the blue lines were   
  
covered. She dropped the bottle of foundation back into the drawer and opened up   
  
her closet and searched desperately for something to hide her ears with. She   
  
settled for a headband that she quickly tried to place over her ears, and used   
  
her hair to cover them. It was a little painful, but it would do. She just   
  
barely had time to draw the curtain over the open window before a knock sounded   
  
at the door.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
She took a deep breath and took a quick glance in the mirror. Confident that she   
  
looked almost "normal," if she kept her fangs out of sight and no one noticed   
  
her eyes, she called out a pleasant, "Come in!"  
  
The door opened and three young girls entered. They all began talking excitedly   
  
at once.  
  
"Oh, Kagome, you've been sick all week-"  
  
"Today's Saturday, so we just thought we'd drop in-  
  
"Kagome, what did you do with your hair? I thought you hated headbands-"  
  
Kagome desperately tried to follow the three conversations, but without much   
  
success. Her friends realized their mistake and giigled, then took turns   
  
speaking.  
  
*A/N: I don't really remember their names, but I'll try.*  
  
"You missed a history test, Kagome. And the section was so interesting, too. It   
  
was all about the myths about demons and onis and gods in the Sengoku Jidai-"   
  
Ayumi started, before she was cut off.  
  
"Oh, come on, Ayumi-chan. Kagome doesn't want to hear about history." Emmi shook   
  
her head at her bookworm friend. Unnoticed by both of them, Kagome had gone a   
  
little pale.  
  
"I'm sure she'd much rather hear the latest gossip about Hojo." Emmi giggled.  
  
"I don't care about Hojo-" Kagome protested, before her third friend broke in.  
  
"Come on you guys, she's been sick for the past three weeks, and you didn't even   
  
ask how she felt!" Ari said, shocked at her companions' rude behavior.  
  
They immediately apologized, and were relieved to hear she was feeling much   
  
better, thank you. Then Emmi began talking again about Hojo and that freshman   
  
girl, and how if Kagome didn't do something soon, she would lose him. Kagome   
  
just rolled her eyes after many protestations that she cared nothing about Hojo   
  
and glanced nervously towards the window. As if on cue, there was a loud thump   
  
and a series of "ite"s from outside. Her friends froze.  
  
"What was that?" asked Ayumi.  
  
"Ahh! A peeper!" Ari shouted. Emmi rushed towards the window, and looked down.  
  
"It's an awefully cute peeper, if he is one." she said thoughtfully. "But he is   
  
dressed a bit funny."  
  
Kagome walked to the window, and looked out. Sure enough, Inuyasha was   
  
crounching on the ground, dusting off his clothes while muttering a string of   
  
curses.  
  
"So who is it?" Ayumi asked.  
  
There was a long silence, before Kagome finally replied.  
  
"That's Inuyasha."  
  
Her friends looked at her in astonishment. A knowing look came on Emmi's face,   
  
and she whispered to Ari. Sudden realization hit Ayumi.  
  
"Is he the one-" she began, but Kagome was leaning out the window.  
  
"Come on up, Inuyasha." she called. He looked at her, still having no clue as to   
  
what was going on, but he leaped up to the tree branch and then to the window   
  
sill. Kagome's friends looked in awe at this display of agility for a moment,   
  
then let loose a torrent of questions.  
  
"Are you really Kagome's boyfriend?" "Does this mean you finally chose between   
  
her and that other girl?" "Are you dressed up for a costume party or something?   
  
'Cause those are really weird clothes." There was a brief respite as Ari   
  
discovered his ears, but then there was another flurry of questions, mainly   
  
asking to touch them or wondering if they were real.  
  
Emmi leaned in towards Kagome. "So where'd you find him? He's so cute!" Kagome   
  
blushed as Inuyasha looked to them, obviously overhearing. He looked surprised.   
  
Kagome whispered back to Emmi, "You won't find another one like him in four   
  
hundred years." Emmi noticed the far away look in Kagome's eyes, and knew her   
  
friend had it bad. She smiled. It was about time.  
  
Kagome managed to get near enough to Inuyasha that she could whisper to him   
  
without anyone else hearing.  
  
"Sit down, and shut up, or else I'll really make you 'sit,'" she muttered just   
  
above her breath. His eyes widened, and he quickly sat down.  
  
Emmi turned to Kagome.  
  
"So, what were you two little love birds planning on doing?"  
  
Kagome looke dup nervously.  
  
"Uh, what do you mean?"  
  
Emmi looked smug. "Well, you were obviously planning something. Why else was he   
  
here?"  
  
Kagome wracked her brain desperately for an answer. She drew a blank.  
  
"I know!" Ayumi said suddenly. "You guys were gonna elope, weren't you!"  
  
Kagome jolted at this. She opened her mouth to deny it, but then she thought for   
  
a minute.  
  
"Yes." she said quietly.  
  
"Oh, how romantic!" Ari sighed. Inuyasha looked at Kagome in confusion, and   
  
started to open his mouth to say something. He thought they had agreed marriage   
  
was out of the question right now. Not that he would mind too much... Kagome   
  
just mouthed "Don't make me say it," to him. He clamped his jaw shut.  
  
"See, Inuyasha's an orphan, and my parents think I'm too young to get married.   
  
So, we're going to run away and live with Inuyasha's brother in Kyoto." she made   
  
up, trying to play her friends' senses of romance. It worked. They all sighed,   
  
with mushy, sappy looks on their faces. Inuyasha just stared at Kagome in   
  
horror. Live with Sesshomaru??!!!  
  
"You'll write us letters, won't you?" Ari asked. Ayumi and Emmi quickly seconded   
  
the request.  
  
"Of course." Kagome said, and realized this was probably the last time she'd see   
  
her friends.  
  
"I'll miss you guys." Tears began to collect in her eyes, and she looked into   
  
their faces, and they all burst out crying at once. They cried and hugged, and   
  
said goodbye and good luck, they made sure her promise she would write letters   
  
at least forty times over again, and Inuyasha just stood in the middle of it,   
  
wondering what was going on. One minute they're all mushy and happy, and now   
  
they're wailing their eyes out? The amount of emotion in the room was making him   
  
sick.  
  
He'd never understand women.  
  
*** 


	7. Chapter 7

Everybody reveiwed I was so happy when I looked I got 8 reveiws In one day. *tear*  
  
So I had the story saved on my computer from the first time I read it and I'm almost done uploading all of the chapters. It will take a little more time to update after I finish the the ninth chapter because I have to type the rest. How many reveiws I get helps me decide how fast to type so keep reveiwing  
  
Disclaimer* I don't own Inu Yasha and the gang. And even though I forgot to write a disclaimer in the last 5 or 6 chapters I didn't own them then either. Once again I didn't write the first 9 chapters, Naoko Cat Girl did. My part comes soon. It gets very exciting if I do say so myself.  
  
Kagome's eyes were red and puffy as she escorted her friends to the door.  
  
"Won't you come with us for a last trip to the ice cream shop?" they pleaded.  
  
Kagome really wanted to, and considered Inuyasha's reaction to ice cream, but   
  
decided against it. It was time she confronted her family.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I really need to start packing." she said quietly. They all gave   
  
her farewell hugs and a few more tears were shed, and she said she would try to   
  
visit. She really hated lying to her friends about the circumstances of her   
  
departure, but it was necessary. They couldn't know about the truth.  
  
Ari turned to Inuyasha, who had been silently observing all this.  
  
"You take care of her. If she's unhappy, I'll never forgive you." she said, her   
  
eyes serious. Inuyasha wondered at why he should be concerned about not being   
  
forgiven by this insignificant human, but he wisely didn't pronounce these   
  
thoughts. The more important thing was that he was going to take care of Kagome,   
  
or else he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He nodded, his eyes just as   
  
serious as Ari's, and she smiled.  
  
"I wish we had gotten to know you better," she said, "but I know Kagome loves   
  
you, so that's enough. We've just been waiting for you guys to realize it."  
  
Emmi and Ayumi agreed, and added their warnings to Inuyasha. He promised that he   
  
wouldn't let Kagome get hurt, and unconciously reiforced his statement by   
  
wrapping his arm around her. This let forth a series of sighs from the three   
  
girls, and a mild blush on Kagome's face.  
  
A few more tears, a few more hugs, a lot more promises, and they were gone.   
  
Kagome watched her three best friends exit her life, probably forever, and   
  
leaned against Inuyasha. He wrapped his arm tighter around her, as if trying to   
  
protect her from the pain inside her own heart. A noise behind them made her   
  
ears attempt to perk up, but they were too squashed under the horrid headband.   
  
She turned, and saw her mother.  
  
"Mom." she said quietly, her voice husky.  
  
"Kagome." her mother brought her gently into a long embrace. Inuyasha stood   
  
awkwardly, feeling out of place. Mrs. Higurashi pulled Kagome away gently, and   
  
looked her in the face. She noticibly stiffened, and licked her thumb to rub   
  
away the makeup on her cheeks, revealing the blue lines. She stared at them,   
  
almost as if hypnotized, and at the slitted eyes. Kagome reached up and pulled   
  
off the torturous headband, and her sore ears sprung up in relief. Her mother   
  
gasped, and softly touched them, her eyes full of quetions, curiousity, and   
  
love. Always love. Kagome had never looked into her mothers eyes without seeing   
  
love, even in the occasional temper flare, or even when those eyes contained   
  
disappointment Like a bright light, her unconditional love still shined through.   
  
Kagome had never met another person as loving as her mother, and only hoped   
  
someday she might inherit this quality.  
  
Kagome took her mother by the hand and led her and sat her on the couch, to   
  
begin the long tale. Inuyasha had had enough of womanly sentiment, emotion and   
  
tears, it upset him to no amount. He slipped out of the room, and began   
  
wandering through Kagome's house. He first came to the kitchen. It was a   
  
promising place, with no end of interesting appliances and edibles, but last   
  
time he had tried to explore the kitchen, Kagome had gotten quite angry at him,   
  
and made him promise to only experiment with things with her supervision. He   
  
looked to the living room guiltily, tempted to forgo this promise. He was bored.   
  
He opened the fridge aand poked around in the contents. He remembered some of   
  
this stuff from earlier visits, but a lot of it was unfamiliar to him. He   
  
glanced again to the living room. Kagome would never know. He gleefully picked   
  
up the first thing he saw. He held it in both hands and examined it carefully.   
  
It was some kind of brownish liquid, trapped within a strange see through   
  
container. He glanced the label of it, and read it out loud.  
  
"Choc-oh-late milk." Chocolate? He remembered chocolate! Kagome had brought it   
  
with her once, and grudgingly given them each a piece. He remembered it, because   
  
out of all the things Kagome had brought with her, it was the only thing   
  
Inuyasha could remember her being hesitant to share. And with good reason.   
  
Chocolate was delicious. He absently swished the jug in his hands as he tried to   
  
find a way to get it open. The cap on it didn't want to come loose, no matter   
  
how hard he pulled. Frustrated, he gave another tug on it, and his hand slipped   
  
around it. He felt the cap move slightly. He eagerly began twisting the cap   
  
around until it was free. He raised the jug to drink from, when a memory of   
  
Kagome flashed back into his mind. She had admonished him once for not using a   
  
cup. He sighed, but not wanting to get into anymore trouble then he was sure   
  
he'd probably get into, he grudgingly put the milk jug on the counter and began   
  
searching the cabinets for the cups. He was soon distracted from his quest,   
  
though, by a big shiny thing. He crept up to the enormous metal structure, with   
  
interesting knobs and buttons that would do who knows what kind of things. There   
  
were all sorts of strange objects in Kagome's time, and they fulfilled all sorts   
  
of unusual tasks. He wanted to know what this one was for. He looked as one   
  
entranced at the knobs, and reached out to one. He hesitated, and then turned   
  
in. Nothing happened. He frowned, then turned another one, and another. There   
  
seemed to be no effect. Puzzled, he inspected some other parts of the shiny   
  
thingamajig. They were oddly shaped, like snakes curled up, ready to strike. He   
  
tentatively touched the thing, and drew back his hand sharply. It was hot! He   
  
hadn't actually burned himself, but the heat had surprised him nontheless. He   
  
watched in wonder as the thing slowly turned red with heat. He then notced two   
  
of the three other snake things heating up as well. He looked at the fourth, but   
  
it didn't seem to be doing anything. He slowly, almost regretfully, put out his   
  
hand. It darted to the burner, touched it a moment, and darted back. It wasn't   
  
hot! But why not? He contemplated this. Something had to have happened that made   
  
these things heat up. He looked back at the stove, and it clicked. The knobs he   
  
had turned before, they activated these heating things! So, if he put the knobs   
  
back like they had been, these heating things would turn of.. He turned two of   
  
the knobs back, and sure enough, the heat radiating from the thing lessened. He   
  
realized these were probably used to cook things on. He could see the advantages   
  
to this. Unlike the wood fire he would have had to use to cook things in his   
  
time, these things would go on and off at a touch, and didn't require wood. One   
  
would never have to worry about finding dry wood in a thunderstorm, or having a   
  
warm meal in the middle of a snowstorm. He marveled at the technology of this   
  
thing, that it would rid so many problems and concerns with the turn of a knob.   
  
Not to mention the concern of getting something to eat.... Suddenly Inuyasha   
  
realized he was hungry. He looked back at the stove and grinned. Perhaps he   
  
could make use of this metal wonder of Kagome's time.  
  
***  
  
Kagome and Mrs. Higurashi hadn't noticed Inuyasha's absence. They had their   
  
little mother to daughter talk, catching up on the past couple of weeks. Kagome   
  
told her story, and Mrs. Higurashi asked her about her friends, and what kind of   
  
story she had fed them. Kagome told her, and the elser woman laughed. She said   
  
with Emmi's sense of romance, Ayumi's imagination, and Ari's gullibility, it was   
  
exactly the kind of story the three would fall for. She told how they had been   
  
dropping by almost every day after school, and she had been hard worked to keep   
  
them away from Grandfather, who still insisted creating the most aweful   
  
diseases, and trying to make up excuses herself. Kagome laughed as her mother   
  
rattled off the new list of diseases Kagome hadn't known she had aquired. They   
  
talked then about how things were going on both sides of the well, and were so   
  
caught up in catching up it was understandable that neither noticed that   
  
Inuyasha had left. Finally, Kagome realized it in a rush, and immediately began   
  
worrying about where he had wandered off to.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she called, trying to locate him. "Now where did he go?"  
  
"I don't remember when he left," Mrs. Higurashi honestly replied. Kagome stood   
  
up, and headed to the kitchen. She hoped he hadn't made another dreadful mess   
  
like last time. She grimaced as she recalled Inuyasha covered in flour, his   
  
sensitive nose sneezing violently and the fridge open with an overturned carton   
  
of juice, eggshells, and various vegetables spilled out on the floor. She   
  
prepared herself for the worst as she opened up the door, and was surprised to   
  
see Inuyasha sitting down quite civilly at the table, with the kitchen   
  
completely intact. He turned to her as he heard the door open, and Kagome could   
  
see he was perfectly alright, besides having a chocolate milk mustache. She   
  
giggled as she made her way towards him. He smiled and held up something   
  
proudly. It was a cup of steaming instant ramen.  
  
It took a minute to register.  
  
"Did Souta help you get something to eat?"  
  
He shook his head, a chocolately smile still on his face.  
  
"I did it by myself, boiled the water and everything, on that metal contraption   
  
over there." he pointed to the stove. Kagome looked at the stove. It wasn't a   
  
flaming ball, and it was even turned off!  
  
"You figured out the stove?" she said, a little unbelievingly. Inuyasha looked   
  
at her curiously.  
  
"Is that what it's called?" She nodded, and he proudly explained how he had   
  
discovered it's purpose and made the ramen all by himself. Kagome was a little   
  
more than amazed. For him to reason out the purpose and ways to use the stove   
  
required intelligence she hadn't known he had. For some reason, she had always   
  
perceived Inuyasha as dense, even ignorant. It didn't bug her, she still loved   
  
him, but now she saw she was wrong. She realized that his lack of knowledge had   
  
come from spending a life time isolated and away from people and youkai alike,   
  
never really communicating. So, when he had appeared stupid and ignorant,it had   
  
really just been that he was nieve. She marveled at the new side of Inuyasha she   
  
had found, and loved him all the more for it. She reached up and wiped away the   
  
milk mustache that still stayed on his face, and followed it up with a kiss.   
  
Inuyasha was startled at this spontaneous act of afection, but soon melted into   
  
it.  
  
Kagome savored the feel on his lips aginst hers, and even the chocolately taste   
  
the kiss had. In fact, from that day onward, whenever shedrank chocolate milk,   
  
she was reminded of that kiss.  
  
*****~~~~~------------------------------------------------------~~~~~*****  
  
two more chapters and my part starts*yeah*  
  
Don't neglect the poor little review button. You know you want to tell me what you think give me some feedback I love it. 


	8. Chapter 8

Miroku and Sango sat together beside her campfire, sharing breakfast and talking   
  
about the new development in their lives, Kagome's sudden change. Sango was   
  
extremely surprised, the priest had yet to try any funny stuff. They had talked   
  
and laughed together last night, but the letch had kept his hands to himself for   
  
the most part. Okay, there was one groping incident, but that was surprising for   
  
the houshi. Sango had asked him several times if he was okay, and checked his   
  
forehead when she had bent down to pick up something, not thinking, right in   
  
front of him, and he didn't even try to touch her. He wasn't sick, but he   
  
was acting very oddly, but it was almost nice, to be able to sit and talk with   
  
him without having to worry about being too close to his roaming hand.  
  
A rustling in the bushes interrupted her from her thoughts. She looked up in   
  
surprise as a kitsune popped out.  
  
"Shippo! What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"Stupid monk!" he yelled, bopping Miroku over the head.  
  
"You left me all by myself at the camp, never even telling me where you were   
  
going!"  
  
***  
  
"Kagome? Inuyasha?"  
  
The pair separated quickly, a blush on each of their faces as Kagome's mother   
  
opened the door to the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, there you are."  
  
She smiled not-quite-so-naively at their red faces.  
  
"How long are you planning on staying today?"  
  
Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other. They really hadn't thought about it.   
  
Kagome had been excited about the whole thing with learning how to use her nose   
  
and all, but now that she was here, she was reluctant to leave.  
  
"You still have to tell your brother and grandfather," Inuyasha reminded   
  
her.  
  
"I'm not sure mom." Kagome said uncertainly.  
  
"Will you at least stay for breakfast? I'll make waffles."  
  
That settled things.  
  
"Okay! We'll stay for breakfast, right Inuyasha?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't know what waffles were, but breakfast sounded nice. His   
  
stomach growled in appreciation. Kagome giggled.  
  
"What about that ramen you just ate?"  
  
"Hey, I have a demon's metabolism, remember?" Inuyasha said jokingly.   
  
"So what are these waffle things anyways?"  
  
Kagome gaped at him.  
  
"You mean you were never here when my mom made WAFFLES?!!"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head, puzzled. Kagome smacked herself on the forehead.   
  
"Well, we'll just have to fix that."  
  
Kagome began explaining the wonder of waffles, the height of American cuisine.   
  
Then Inuyasha asked where this America place was, and Kagome started giving him   
  
a geography lesson. Mrs. Higurashi watched this all with a small maternal smile.   
  
Inuyasha listened, captivated, as Kagome told led him through a brief history   
  
about America and European countries, and how Japan was introduced to them.  
  
Her mother had never seen Kagome so lively and animated. Her daughter had always   
  
been a quiet, thoughtful child. Only now did she see how much this demon hunting   
  
and adventure had drawn her out of her shell. She wondered how her other Senkoku   
  
friends affected her. That reminded her.  
  
"Kagome, your birthday is next week."  
  
Kagome looked up in surprise. That was right! Her sixteenth birthday! How could   
  
she forget?  
  
"What were you planning on doing, mom?" Her mother always planned lavish   
  
parties and invited all of Kagome's friends and classmates.  
  
"I hardly think a party would be in order with you in your... condition."  
  
Kagome giggled. "Yes, and I've already told Ari, Emmi, and Ayumi that   
  
Inuyasha and I were eloping. You know what that means, it'll be all over the   
  
school in no time."  
  
"Yes. So, what would you like to do?"  
  
"I think just a small family party would be best."  
  
"That's what I thought, but I had an idea. How about you invite your friends   
  
from over the well?"  
  
"Sango, Miroku, and Shippo?" Kagome asked in surprise.  
  
"Why not? I'd like to meet them."  
  
"I don't know if they can travel across the well."  
  
"Remember when there was that thing with that poor little girl? And you asked   
  
Souta to go back and get Inuyasha?"  
  
"Yes, but Inuyasha came through the well by himself, Souta couldn't get   
  
across."  
  
"But, when he described what happened, it sounded to me like when Inuyasha   
  
crossed through the well, Souta started to cross through too. So, if you and   
  
Inuyasha cross through with them, I think it would work."  
  
Kagome thought this over. "Yeah, I suppose so."  
  
"So when should we plan it?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. Kagome regarded her   
  
mother.  
  
"You're really excited about this, aren't you?"  
  
"Of course I am! My only daughter is celebrating her only sixteenth birthday,   
  
and I finally get to meet these people you talk so much about!"  
  
Kagome smiled. A noise came from the doorway. She turned, to see a sleepy boy   
  
with tousled hair walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Mom? You're making waffle- Kagome! Inuyasha!"  
  
"Souta!" The young boy barreled her over in a hug.  
  
"You were gone for so long. I thought you might never come back! How long are   
  
you and Inuyasha nii-chan staying?"  
  
Inuyasha squirmed uncomfortably at being called big brother. The only brother he   
  
had ever had had been Sesshomaru, and, well, no more really needed to be said.   
  
He didn't know how to react to this kid, Kagome's little brother, accepting   
  
him so readily as a part of the family. And then, there was Kagome's mother.   
  
She was always so friendly, despite the fact he was what had kept her daughter   
  
away from her family for so long, with his impatience to collect Shikon shards.   
  
The grandfather was still a little cautious of him, but he hadn't tried to use   
  
the sealing scrolls on him anymore. Those things didn't really do much, but   
  
they were sticky and a pain to get off, especially when they got caught in his   
  
hair.  
  
"Well, we're staying for breakfast, but I don't know how long we'll be   
  
staying after that."  
  
Souta groaned. "you'll at least spend the rest of the day, won't you?   
  
It's a Saturday, and there's no school, and- what happened to your   
  
ears?!!" Souta exclaimed as his drowsiness finally left him and he realized   
  
the difference in Kagome. Mrs. Higurashi giggled.  
  
"Aren't they cute? I rubbed them for five minutes straight before she   
  
finally got tired of it."  
  
Souta stared at his big sister.  
  
"You're- you're a hanyou! Like Inuyasha!"  
  
Kagome sighed and prepared to tell the long story again as Souta reached up and   
  
traced the lines on her face, slightly streaked with the makeup that had stayed   
  
despite her tears and her mother's attempts to wipe it off, when she heard   
  
another person enter.  
  
"What's all this racket? Can't an old man get some sleep around here?"  
  
"Oh, come on Jii-chan, it's almost 10:30. Even on Saturdays you shouldn't   
  
oversleep that much."  
  
"Hmmph. Souta, when I was your age, I knew how to respect my elders-   
  
Kagome!"  
  
Kagome and Souta giggled. Inuyasha just stood behind Kagome, a little awkwardly.  
  
"What happened to you? Or are you a demon in disguise, trying to overtake the   
  
rest of us? I knew that Inuyasha would bring bad luck upon us." A low throated   
  
growl came from Inuyasha, and Kagome and Souta laughed even harder. Grandfather   
  
continued, completely oblivious to their giggles.  
  
"Well, your evil plan won't work in this house! Out! Out with you!"  
  
"Jii-chan, it's me." She said between laughs. He looked doubtful, but she   
  
began her long story, and he listened, eying Inuyasha mistrustfully. Inuyasha   
  
just glared right back. Kagome finished her tale, and Jii-chan was silent.  
  
"Don't worry Kagome, I'll have you human again in no time." He said   
  
stubbornly, staring at Inuyasha the whole time. Inuyasha suddenly had the   
  
childish impulse to make a face at the ridiculous old man and his non stop   
  
glaring. Thankfully, Inuyasha resisted this urge and settled for a haughty look   
  
that made him look scarily like Sesshomaru, and infuriated the old man.  
  
"That's okay, Grandpa." Kagome said, sweatdropping at the thought of what   
  
her grandfather had in mind as a cure. She remembered when she had gotten   
  
chicken pox and had been sent home from school while her mother was out. Her   
  
grandfather had insisted it wasn't chicken pox at all, but a plague from a   
  
demon that he must exorcise before her flesh was eaten away by the sores. Her   
  
mother had come home just in time to rescue her from her grandfather's choking   
  
incense, chants and scrolls. It had taken her mother several hours to convince   
  
her that the chicken pox would heal in a week, and no, it wasn't going to rot   
  
her flesh away. She shuddered at the thought, and so missed the entire silent   
  
show down between Jii-chan and Inuyasha.  
  
"No, it's not okay!" he said insistently. "You can't stay a demon! My   
  
own grand daughter! A member of the Higurashi family! A long line of holy men   
  
and shrine maidens, and you insist on staying half demon?!! It's bad enough   
  
that you had to choose a demon for a boyfriend, but now this?"  
  
Inuyasha was quite ticked off at this, and probably would have slaughtered the   
  
old man right there if he had not looked at Kagome's face. Her eyes were   
  
hardened and her mouth set. Inuyasha almost fell over in shock: That was   
  
definitely Kagome's "sit" face, but for once it wasn't directed at him!   
  
He almost felt bad for her grandfather.  
  
"Now look here, Jii-chan, there is nothing wrong with Inuyasha being a demon,   
  
you got that? He's who I love, and that's enough. Now if I hear any more   
  
nonsense about Inuyasha being somehow inferior to full humans, I just might hop   
  
over that well and never come back. And I'm the one who will choose whether I   
  
want to have you trying all sorts of quack cures and exorcisms on me, and I   
  
choose to stay just as I am, understand?"  
  
The grandfather nodded, his eyes wide at his grand daughter's outburst. He   
  
looked at her with a curious look in his eyes. She reminded him so much of his   
  
late wife sometimes.  
  
"I only wanted the best for you," he said, a little hurt. Kagome's eyes   
  
softened.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry I snapped at you, but I think I can control my own life   
  
now."  
  
Jii-chan nodded. She probably could.  
  
"You have your grandmother's temper, you know that?"  
  
"Yes, Jii-chan, you've told me." She said. He glanced back up to Inuyasha,   
  
and his eyes hardened, then relaxed. "You take care of her, you hear?"   
  
Inuyasha, surprised, nodded. "You really don't deserve her, but for some   
  
reason she loves you. So, what can grandfather do but let the child make the   
  
choice." He sighed, and hugged Kagome. "So what kind of new demonic powers   
  
have you acquired?" he asked with a smile.  
  
*** 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer* I don't own Inu Yasha and the gang. I didn't write the first nine chapters of the story. Naoko Cat Girl had the honor of doing that. This is the last chapter written by her. After this chapter it was all me. So here you go.  
  
  
  
Chapter 9***  
  
"NANI???"  
  
The monk and the youkai exterminator tried to calm the frantic fox kit.  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S A HANYOU?"  
  
Miroku sighed and tried to explain the spell and what had gone wrong, but his   
  
audience had disappeared.  
  
"I'm gonna go find them!" The kitsune cried, and ran off in the general   
  
direction of Kaede's hut.  
  
Sango tried to stop him, but he was gone in a flash.  
  
"Well, I suppose there's nothing we can do but follow him," she sighed.  
  
"I dunno, I can think of a few more interesting things we could do instead."  
  
Miroku said, his quirked eyebrows hinting at what he had in mind.  
  
Whap  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"Once a pervert, always a pervert." Sango growled.  
  
***  
  
Kagome peered over her cards at Inuyasha. She grabbed the card he passed to her,   
  
looked at, then passed it along. Her hand snaked towards the center of the   
  
table, lightly grabbed a spoon, and snaked back. She continued to pass the cards   
  
and wait. Souta noticed the missing spoon first, and quickly grabbed another.   
  
Inuyasha was trying to deal with all the cards in his hand at once, his eyebrows   
  
slanted in frustration as he threw a handful of cards to Kagome.  
  
"Slow down." He growled to Mrs. Higurashi, who grabbed the next spoon. Ji-   
  
chan looked up next and grabbed the last spoon. Kagome burst into a fit of   
  
giggles.  
  
"What're you laughing at, wench?" he growled at her, then noticed the   
  
spoon in her hand. He looked to the table, but the spoons were already taken.  
  
"Da-" he barely stopped himself from cursing, seeing the disapproving look   
  
on Mrs. Higurashi's face.  
  
"That's another O for you!" Kagome shouted happily. "The almighty hanyou   
  
with the super senses, losing a game of Spoons," She laughed.  
  
"Where'd you learn this card game anyways?" Souta asked.  
  
"Uh, I think it was an American foreign exchange student in my class a year or   
  
two ago," Kagome replied.  
  
"Well I think it's stupid." Inuyasha said gruffly.  
  
"That's just cause you're a sore loser." Kagome stuck out her tongue.   
  
She hadn't lost a round yet. In fact, Inuyasha had been the loser for all the   
  
past rounds except one, when he happened to look up at just the right time to   
  
grab the last spoon right before Souta did. Oh, how he had gloated after that,   
  
sitting with his smug 'I'm better than you and I know it,' look, which   
  
only amused the family instead of intimidating them like it was supposed to.  
  
Inuyasha hadn't quite understood the point of these card thingies. They   
  
didn't seem to serve much purpose, you couldn't eat them, or use them as   
  
weapons, and when you won a game, you didn't get any sort of prize or anything   
  
for your trouble. Kagome said they weren't supposed to serve a purpose, that   
  
they were just for 'fun.' In fact, a lot of the things from her time seemed   
  
to be just for fun, like those video game thingies on that possessed 'TV'   
  
box. Inuyasha was still confused how the things inside the box were there   
  
without smell, and Kagome just went into an even more confusing explanation that   
  
involved strange words like 'satellites,' and something about a picture   
  
being sent by some kind of waves. Inuyasha got bored and changed the subject.  
  
Kagome eventually gave up trying to explain the things of her time, as the   
  
technology was unimaginable to anyone from the Sengoku Jidai, so she just   
  
attributed it to a different kind of magic. Inuyasha really didn't care too   
  
much anyways. The black box was loud and annoying and not nearly as useful as   
  
that 'stove' thingy he had made the ramen on.  
  
"Inuyasha, what do you want to do now?" Kagome asked when the card game was   
  
over, Inuyasha inevitably losing, with the word 'spoons' written in English   
  
letters with blue ink on his hand.  
  
"Can I get this stuff off my hand now?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Sure. Come on."  
  
Kagome led him into the bathroom and showed him how to use the sink. She   
  
wrinkled her now-sensitive nose as she entered.  
  
"I never realized how much this room really smells." She said. It was true,   
  
the intermixing smells of bleach, urine, air freshener, and soap made it quite a   
  
pungent place. They had gone almost unnoticed by her human nose. That reminded   
  
her.  
  
"Inuyasha, are you going to take me to learn how to track and stuff today?"  
  
Inuyasha looked at her in surprise. "I thought you would want to stay with   
  
your family for the rest of the day."  
  
Kagome pouted. "But I really wanted to go today!"  
  
Inuyasha looked at her in disbelief. "Kagome, you haven't been with your   
  
family in weeks. You always like to come back."  
  
"But I can always come another day," she said. "Why are you wanting me to   
  
stay here? You used to never want me to come back."  
  
Inuyasha looked to the ground.  
  
"That's because... I used to be afraid that if you came back here... you   
  
wouldnâ't ever come back to me. You had so much here, I never could believe you   
  
would actually want to stay in my age with me."  
  
Kagome looked at him in wonder. "Really? But I always came back!"  
  
"That's why I eventually came to trust that you would stay with me," he   
  
said quietly. "Stay with your family today, who knows, it might be a while   
  
before you see them again. Plus, you have to make plans for that 'party'   
  
thing of yours."  
  
Kagome nodded. "That's right... Okay, but we can go tomorrow, right?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Of course."  
  
She smiled and went off to find her mom. Inuyasha watched her leave, and sucked   
  
in his breath. He hadn't told her the real reason why he wanted her to stay.   
  
Watching her and her mother together, seeing the was Souta adored her, and   
  
Jii-chan was protective of her, he saw that she belonged. She had a family, a   
  
real one. The one thing he had never had. He wanted her to enjoy it, not waste a   
  
minute of it, because it was more precious than she knew.  
  
And, maybe, by watching them, he could pretend he was a part of it.  
  
***  
  
"Kagome, do you think you'll be back again before your party?" Souta   
  
asked.  
  
"No, why, Souta?"  
  
"Cause, if you aren't coming back, when are you and Mom gonna go   
  
shopping?"  
  
Kagome sucked in her breath. She had forgotten; it was tradition, every year her   
  
and her mother would go out on a huge shopping spree as an early birthday   
  
present. She and her mother would often spend all day at it, hitting the malls   
  
and boutiques, enjoying themselves immensely. She wondered why her mother   
  
hadn't mentioned it before. No, wait, of course Mama wouldn't mention it.   
  
She wouldn't say anything, and let Kagome spend her time with Inuyasha,   
  
thinking she would much rather be with the dog demon than her dried up old   
  
mother anyways. Kagome sighed. Her mother was always so self sacrificing,   
  
willing to give up her own time with her daughter for Inuyasha and her Sengoku   
  
companions. Kagome knew how much her mother enjoyed the little shopping trips   
  
they took together, ones that Kagome hadn't had time for of late. Well, she   
  
would fix that. She left the puzzled Souta to go find her Mom.  
  
She was in the kitchen, washing up the dishes from the waffles they had eaten   
  
earlier. Kagome glanced at the clock. It was still early enough, before noon,   
  
they could leave now and still have time to shop till they dropped.  
  
"Hey, Mom, leave those dishes for later. Come on, lets get ready."  
  
"Ready? For what?"  
  
"For our shopping trip, remember? You owe me my birthday spree, if I am   
  
correct."  
  
"But what about-"  
  
"About what? Come on, let's go."  
  
Mrs. Higurashi smiled.  
  
"Alright. Well, let me change, and get my purse. But, Kagome dear, what are   
  
you going to do about Inuyasha?"  
  
"What? I heard my name." Inuyasha popped out around the corner, a Pocky   
  
sticking out of his mouth.  
  
"Hey! That was my secret stash!" Kagome yelled.  
  
Inuyasha grinned.  
  
"Well, it's not a secret anymore, now is it?"  
  
Kagome swatted at the dog demon, who playfully ducked under it, cruching the   
  
rest of the chocolate covered biscuit stick before sticking his tongue out at   
  
Kagome.  
  
Kagome sniffed the air.  
  
"And you got into my Botan rice candy too!"  
  
Inuyasha grimaced.  
  
"That sticky stuff? It was too sweet, and stuck in my teeth."  
  
"So where's the rest of it?"  
  
"Oh, I didn't like it, so I gave it to that fat cat."  
  
"Inuyasha!!!"  
  
"Just kidding." Inuyasha smirked, and held out the bag with most of   
  
Kagome's candy stash still intact, though depleted of chocolate.  
  
Kagome glared warily at him, but he just grinned infuriatingly. Mrs. Higurashi   
  
chuckled at the pair.  
  
"So what are we going to do about him?"  
  
Kagome smirked. "Let's make him really suffer for his candy theivery.   
  
Let's..."  
  
Inuyasha sweatdropped.  
  
"...take him shopping with us!"  
  
~~~~~*****----------------------------------------*****~~~~~  
  
Okay so I had nothing else better to do and uploaded every chapter from the original story. DO NOT expect me to type th rest of the story so quickly. I have the rest written but not typed so it will take a little while for me to do it I do have a life other than fanfiction. (even though it might seem otherwise sometimes) I will get to work on it. And don't forget to review its what keeps me typing. So go ahead...push the button. you know you want to. 


	10. Author note must read

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***************Author Note**************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
You need to read this to understand the rest of the story.  
  
Okay I'm done uploading the chapters that were written by Naoko so there is a little information about the rest of the story. So here is some info you will definatly need.  
  
In this story I added a character. She is Inu Yasha's twin sister, Kori-nama. (pause for astonished gasps) I wrote her in as if she had met up with the group once b4. I had gotten the idea from a friend that once visited Japan. She said that Kori-nama was in the anime over there but they edited her out when they brought it over. Here is some info you'll need to know in the story. Kori-nama is a mute because Sessy ripped out her vocal cords when they were younger and she was being annoying to him. Something in my story is that Kori-nama and Inu Yasha have what in many stries is called "The twin thing"(when one twin can feel what the other is feeling) 


	11. Chapter 10

Okay here it comes this is were the whole thing got turned over to me and I went full steam ahead.   
  
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Okay if you didn't read the author note go back and read it because if tou don't then you will get so lost later in the story that you won't want to read it any more and then that will make me sad because I'm losing readers  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~*******************************~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
kagome-chan13- Sorry but I already wrote the entire story and Kikyo dose'nt even show up. I might edit the story to put her on though so stay tuned to see what I do. I have to find a good place to put her in though. Thanks for the input.  
  
IceQueen088- Oh beleive me Inu Yasha will definately not have fun with shopping. But he does have his first experiance with ice cream. All is in this chapter so get ready to laugh your pants off.  
  
Josh Potter- Like I told kagome-chan13 I already have the whole story written and I'm not sure if I have written what you mean but I think I have something you are looking for in a later chapter.  
  
Thanks to the rest of the reveiwers that made the quick comment to help boost my ego.  
  
Now onto the story~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Kagome and her mother walked out of the fourth store of the afternoon Inu Yasha was trailing behind still not used to the modern day clothes that Kagome had given him so that he wouldn't be so noticeable.   
  
"Kagome! Why do I have to wear these stupid clothes!?" Inu Yasha whinned. "You don't want to look like a fool everywhere you go do you?" Inu Yasha gave a fleeting look at Kagome as he tried to feel normal in the clothes Kagome called jeans, t-shirt, and a bandana to cover his ears of course. Kagome and her mother looked back at him couldn't help but giggle at Inu Yasha's perfect imitation of a bowlegged cowboy. "We better get something to eat soon. I'm hungry!" Inu Yasha yelled at the two gigglers that were walking away from him.   
  
When they found a place to eat Kagome started to look at her menu and couln't decide what to order. Inu Yasha, who looked like a little kid reading his first book and she couldn't restrain a small giggle. Inu Yasha looked up and asked "What is a maccaroni and cheese?" "It's a pasta with cheese on it." Kagome answered. "I'll get that." he said wia grin flashing flashing his sparkling fangs.   
  
Just then the waitress walked up and was astonished at his odd smile. She brushed it off as just another odd person and smiled back to him and proceeded to take their order. After they had finished Mrs. Higurashi asked if anyone wanted any ice cream after all it was Kagome's birthday any way. Kagome could see an obvious look of confusion on Inu Yasha's face and took her cue to try and explain the dessert to the hanyou. "Inu Yasha, ice cream is like frozen milk with flavor in it," Kagome explained to him. They all decided thay would get some. Inu Yahsa had his heart set on getting chocolate since he only got chocolate when Kagome brought it from her home to Feudal Japan. After they got to the ice cream parlor and sat down at their table with their cones with mountains of ice cream on top. Kagome giggled once again as she watched Inu Yasha examine his ice cream and then look at her. Taking the hint Kgome started to lick the ice cream and Inu Yasha followed suit. By the time that Inu Yasha was done the beautiful silver hair around his face that had come into his way was completly brown and stuck to his face. Everything he touched stuck to his hands. Kagome told him to go wash his hands like she had shown him adn to try to get the brown out of his hair. He returned and thay all decided to go home since everyone was tired. Inu Yasha especilly since he was the one that carried all of the bags all day. They had definatly acumulated over the course of the afternoon.  
  
Thats the end of this chapter and hopefully I get lots of reviews. yay!!!  
  
check out my other fanfiction that is definatly all my own(with the exception that I don't own Inu Yasha. Darn it!!) It's called Unexpected Family members.  
  
Kori-nama is in that one to but it is a story of how they met up with her after defeating Naraku and after the birth of Kagome and Inu Yasha's first child.  
  
R&R 


	12. Chapter 11

Disclaimer- if anyone that is reading this very story and thinks that I sincerly own Inu Yasha you need a reality check because If I owned Inu Yasha I would definately not be writing this as a fan fic but I would be in the Manga and the anime.   
  
On with the story ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Inu yasha walked in the door of the Higuashi residence and received a couple of very odd looks from Sota and Jii-chan. He almost looked like any other person in his new attire. Mrs. H sat down and started to tell of all of Inu Yasha's experiances ; especially those that would embarass him most.   
  
Inu Yasha went into the kitchen to escape the humility he was experiancing. Kagome followed since she had been there to experiance the whole thing first hand. "Inu Yasha, when do you want to go back to the feudal era?" she asked as she closed the kitchen door behind her. "If we are going to find the others tonight to give them the news then we would have to leave soon," Inu Yasha replied.   
  
Kagome didn't want to leave her family so early but she knew that what Inu Yasha said was very true. "That would be best but I want to say goodbye though first. I feel bad for leaving so early but we'll see them again in a week. " Kagome sighed as she opened the door to the living room and held it open for him.   
  
The laughter that was coming from everyone in the living room had died down. Everyone said their farewells. Inu Yasha returned to Kagome's room to change back into his fire rat haori and left his new clothes neatly laid on Kagome's bed. He came back down and after a few last kisses goodbye Inu Yasha dashed out of the house and down the well with Kagome on his back.   
  
*******~~~~~~******  
  
As they approached the hut they could see Shippo waiting for them to return. Inu Yasha let Kagome off his back and she was surprised when Shippo didn't run to meet her as usual. As she came closer to the steps she could see that he had fallen asleep waiting for them. Kagome approached quietly trying not to startle him.   
  
She nudged him gently with her hand to wake him. It took him a moment to realize where he was. "Inu Kigo," Shippo half stated half asked. Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the name. Shippo had called Inu Yasha's sister by that name when he saw her. Now that She thought about it she greatly resembled Inu Yasha's sister Kori-nama. The only exception to their apperances were their faces and clothes.   
  
"It's me Shippo," Kagome said threw her giggles. Shippo looked at her with amazment and wide eyes. "So Miroku and Sango were telling the truth. I wouldn't beleive them when they told me but.....WOW!" Kagome started to laugh again at the kitsune's response to her new look. "Kagome, can I ask you something? " Kagome smiled back before responding, "What Shippo?". "Can I.... Can I... touchyourears?" he blurted out quickly before he lost the courage to ask.   
  
Kagome just smiled at him and nodded her head. Shippo smiled back before bounding onto her shoulders to reach the twitching appendages with his tiny hands. Kagome started to emit a sound that was neither a giggle nor a growl of content. "Kagome what is that sound you're making?" Inu Yasha asked with a puzzled look on his face.   
  
Shippo stopped a moment to hear her answer. Kagome whimpered at the lack of rubbing."Well, it tickles but it feels really good." Kagome said with a smile. Shippo started to rub her ears again. "Kagome your ears are really soft." Shippo exclaimed as he kept on rubbing, "They're even softer than Inu Yasha's." "Thanks." Kagome said as Shippo jumped off her shoulders.   
  
Inu Yasha glared at Shippo, he took great pride in his wonderful ears. "So when are we going to look for the others?" Inu Yasha blurted out to keep any one from further insulting his wonderous ears. Kagome glared at him, "Chill Inu Yasha. We'll go. Shippo do you know where Sango and Miroku are?" "Sure, I was at their camp before I came here. Let's go!" Shippo said with great enthusiasum just before taking off at full speed.   
  
"Hold on!"Kagome said thinking there was no way that she could catch up with him. Inu Yasha looked at Kagome with knowing grin before laughing at her naiveté. "What?" she yelled a little ticked off at being laughed at. "You're a hanyou now. You'll have no problem keeping up with him." Kagome blushed at his comment she had deserved to be laughed at for that one. "Okay Mr. smarty pants how do I do this?" Kagome asked with her hands on her hips waiting to be instructed.  
  
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Okay I'm done for now I hope you enjoyed I'm really sorry it took me so long to update and I feel really bad for giving such a short chapter last time too. Please forgive me. Ja ne!  
  
please R/R 


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